Teenager shot in Hyattsville after refusing to give up his jacket, police say
Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod Towers said during a news conference Friday the teen boy was walking with two other young teens in a neighborhood in the 3500 block of Carnaby Street around noon, when they were approached by three men.
Those men, Towers said, singled out the teen boy and tried to take his jacket, but the teenager refused and a fight broke out. During that fight, one of the men pulled out a handgun and shot the teen who had refused to give up his jacket, hitting him once.
The teen boy was taken to the hospital, where Towers described his condition as “critical but stable.”
“It’s absurd. It’s just another example of ruthless crime. We have a problem nationwide. This is not isolated to this community. This is a nationwide issue related to young adults involved in violent crime,” Towers said. “The trauma to the victim, his family and this community is absolutely ridiculous; and we have allocated every resource that we have here at the Hyattsville Police Department.”
Towers said the three men ran off into a construction zone near the scene of the shooting. One of the men was wearing a black, puffy jacket, another was wearing a red, hooded sweatshirt and the third man was wearing a black, puffy coat, according to Towers.
“We deployed a canine in this search. Our evidence technicians were out here, and the men and women of the Hyattsville Police Department and Prince George’s County Police Department spent a significant amount of time out here collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, and we will bring this offender to justice,” Towers said.
Northwestern High School, which is near the scene of the shooting, was placed on lockdown after the shooting happened, but that lockdown has since been lifted. Towers could not confirm whether or not any of the individuals involved were students at the school.
Anyone who saw what happened or has information about the shooting is asked to call Hyattsville police at 301-985-5060.
Below is a map of the area where the shooting happened: